Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

50
13
live or, in the year of the accident, lived in the contaminated
territories. Among them there are 1
million children.
The most complicated task is the evaluation of medical and
biological consequences of the accident, as they relate to multi-factor
effects including both objectively measurable dose loads,
the levels of
the contamination of the environment and the factors of social and
psychological nature which can not be assessed quantitatively.
Uncertainty in the assessment of the situation, distrust to the
Infonnation, ignorance of the objective information about biological
effect of radiation, sometimes false rumors, etc. objectively result in
stress to which organism reacts unpredictably and inadequately to the
exposure.
Despite the fact that a relatively small number of people died
immediately after the accident (3l person died of the acute forms of
radiation sickness), the long-term consequences are grave and cause
great tension in the work of state agencies and medical service of
Ukraine. For example, 5,000 people have lost ability to work. The
sickness of 30,000 "liquidators" is officially attributed to the
aftermath of the catastrophe. According to the Greenpeace-Ukraine
organization, over 32.000 people died as a result of the accident. The
population mortality in the most affected regions increased by 15.7%
compared to the pre-accident period.
As a consequence of inhaling aerosols containing iodine 131
immediately after the accident. 13.000 children in the region